24% fewer passengers compared to 2019
The impact of Covid-19 and the ongoing war in Ukraine are still impacting passenger traffic at Sofia Airport in the first six months of 2022. Despite the growth in travel, traffic is still far from pre-pandemic levels, the airport said.
The total number of passengers passed through Sofia Airport in June was 560 153, a decrease of more than 11% compared to the same period in 2019. The number of passengers travelling on regular international flights was 507 308, or almost 13% less, while the number of passengers to Varna and Burgas was 23 848, a decrease of 12% compared to the pre-pandemic 2019.
For the third consecutive month, charter flights grew. June’s figures show that 26,501 people travelled on charter flights or this is an increase of nearly 32% compared to the same period in 2019.
4,881 aircrafts took off and landed in the first half of the year. That’s a decrease of 11% from June 2019, when they were 5,482.
The biggest drop was in cargo and mail processed. A total of 1,875 tonnes were processed during the period, 16% less than the 2019 results.
Passenger growth in the summer months is to be expected, but Sofia Airport is concerned about the increasing number of Covid positives in Bulgaria and Europe. This is the reason for the uncertainty about traffic in the fourth quarter of the year, the airport said.